
Plemons graduated with his Texas high school diploma in 2007.
Adjacent Photo: Jesse Plemons in Black Mirror (2017)
When television and film actor Jesse Plemons was in high school in the mid-2000s, he needed a solution to the challenge of getting his education while still pursuing his passion of acting.
Plemons and his family found the answer in TTU K-12, part of Texas Tech University's eLearning & Academic Partnerships, and he graduated with his Texas high school diploma in May 2007.
“My mother was a teacher, researched every possible online high school and knew TTU K-12 was the best,” Plemons said. “I thought I would give it a shot because I wanted to do more, and I wanted a real diploma. I had to have something different from a traditional brick-and-mortar school. TTU K-12 offered the flexibility I needed. It was a perfect fit.”
After appearing in numerous television shows and movies, Plemons is nominated by the Television Academy for a second Emmy Award. The winners will be revealed at the 70th Annual Emmy Awards, beginning at 7 p.m. CDT today (Sept. 17) on NBC.

“TTU K-12 gave me a great foundation and skills I did not know I was developing,” Plemons said. “I learned how to be persistent and how to manage my time. When memorizing lines, I have a timeline to work with, and I have to stay on task. A lot of being an actor is similar to studying online. You must stick with it until you get it down. These are the very things I learned early on with TTU K-12.”
Plemons is nominated in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for the character of Robert Daly in an episode of the British anthology series “Black Mirror,” titled “USS Callister.” The episode also is nominated in two other categories: Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series and Outstanding Television Movie.
He is nominated alongside industry heavy weights Antonio Banderas, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeff Daniels, John Legend and Darren Criss.
In 2016, Plemons was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his portrayal of Ed Blumquist in “Fargo.”
Read more about Plemons in these previously published stories:
- Star Power (Texas Tech Today, 2007)
- “Friday Night Lights” Actor Earns Diploma through TTUISD (Texas Tech Today, 2008)